Isotope map rules out 92% of Amazon in illegal timber probes

Brazilian researchers developed an isotopic mapping model that can rule out 92% of the Amazon when tracing illegally logged timber. Led by Professor Luiz Antonio Martinelli at the University of São Paulo, the technique analyzes stable isotopes in tree wood to give Federal Police a tamperproof forensic tool. The model still has limitations in the deforestation arc, so scientists are expanding samples and adding other isotopes to improve accuracy.